Snowe's Lesson For Life
by Animaman
Summary: Snowe learns what went on with Hero since that incident in Razril, from his friends and the crew, and gets a lesson about how true friendship really works. sorry if this summary sucks.
1. Life on the Dauntless

SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

This takes place between after recruiting Snowe and before starting the final sequences.

Snowe Vingerhut was on the deck of the Dauntless, a floating base for the Crusaders, just enjoying the sunset on the horizon. One of the few things he had missed while being left adrift at sea. He was just thinking about all the rumors he has heard about the ship's captain/Crusaders commander during his little travels.

Things were peaceful, Nico and Wendel were standing lookout at the back of ship as usual.

Karl was practicing his combat skills.

Micky was out at the front end of the ship, enjoying the sunset as well, plus taking a little break from Reinbach and Charlemagne.

The kids that were on board were running around playfully, giggling up a laugh.

Axel was at the other side, keeping to himself. A couple of feet away from them, Millay, Viki, and Kika were busy chatting away. Millay was busy commenting about Link, while Viki wished she could just teleport away, and Kika was fighting the urge to throw her overboard.

Link himself was on deck, next to the entrance to the bridge of the ship, just staring out into the open.

Just life aboard a ship.

Hope you like the prologue. Read and Review.


	2. Scarier than Death itself

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Snowe was stuck in his own thoughts until he noticed Konrad and Katarina walking by him, talking idle chit-chat. Snowe decided to turn around and break whatever ice he might have created between them.

"Hello Ms. Katarina, Mr. Konrad," Snowe said, "How are you two doing?"

They both stopped and decided to start a conversation with him. "Want to talk about it?" Konrad asked as he and Katarina decided to go on both sides of him.

"Nothing" he said, but his face was saying something else.

They both didn't need to look at each other since they knew him, Link and the others before they became Knights of Gaien. They both gave a small grin before Katarina asked "Still holding a grudge against Link?"

He started asking "What makes you say . . ." but was interrupted by a chorus of "OH LIIIIIINNNNNK!"

All three looked to their right to see the five mermaid sisters, Lilan, Lilen, Lilin, Lilon, and Liloon, walking up to Link. Link turned around and asked "Is there anything I can do for you ladies?" Lilin came up to him and said "We just wanted to finally thank you for bringing us back together." Then they all kissed him on the cheek, one by one, took a run towards the other side, and dove right into the ocean. Link's face was so red; it could be seen at night.

Snowe was starting to feel a little depressed until a loud "Grrrr" was heard and everybody on deck turned to see that Millay was about to blow her top. Kika and Viki took a few steps away from her. Snowe took a quick look at Link, who took one look, and disappeared in a flash behind the door to the bridge.

Millay was next to leave, going through the door that leads to the top floor of the lounge. "I hope Sir Link locks his bedroom door tonight." Viki said, with Kika nodding in agreement.

"Does that always happen?" Snowe asked.

"Ever since he and Reinbach saved her from bandits sent by his father." Katarina answered.

"I am getting sick and tired of hearing about all the great accomplishments of Sir Link!" Snowe yelled out, "What is the big deal about him anyway?"

"WHATS THE BIG DEAL?" Kika yelled out as she punched him. . .

Sorry for the cliffhanger, but wanted to make sure that Link was somewhere else while Snowe's lesson started. Read & Review, and wish me luck on the next one.


	3. Ladies speak first

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

"I am getting sick and tired of hearing about all the great accomplishments of Sir Link!" Snowe yelled out, "What is the big deal about him anyway?"

"WHATS THE BIG DEAL?" Kika yelled out as she punched him, so loud, the other ships would have thought that the Dauntless just fired a new kind of Rune Cannon.

Snowe was just recovering when he asked "What was that for?" in complete anger until he saw that not only Kika, but Viki, Axel, Micky, Karl, Nico and Wendel looking at him, with pure anger in their eyes.

Konrad and Katarina right now were acting like a barrier right now, trying to get everyone on the deck to calm down. Five minutes later, they did, and went back to what they were doing before, except for Axel, Viki and Kika.

Kika finally decided to try and answer that question, because she was still a little furious, "You think Link wanted to be in charge of all of this," Snowe was neutral, "Well he didn't!"

Snowe now had a surprised look on his face, "You mean he didn't want anything to do with this?"

"Of course not," Kika answered back, still furious, "Especially when he has that Rune of Punishment sucking the life out of him!" She than stormed off towards a lifeboat that will take her back to her ship.

Snowe was truly surprised as this, until he remembered something. "Wait, wasn't that…"

As if to answer his question, Katarina said, "Yes, it is the same light that appeared before Commander Glen died. The commander had it on his hand before he died, and then it transferred itself to Link's hand."

Snowe asked, trying to act innocent, "H-how do you know about that?"

Katarina answered, anger and regret in her voice, "I saw the Rune's imprint on the Commanders hand after you came back from your first mission. Every time it acted up, he would order everybody out of his room." Her hand forming into a fist, "After the Commander used it, the rune took his life, and transferred to Link's hand." Now she looked like she was going to blow.

Konrad and Axel were able to calm her down some.

Snowe looked pretty frighten, realizing that his little secret won't protect him on this ship. "W-w-when did you find out the truth?" he asked, in pure terror.

"Link already told me the truth before he got exiled from Razril," she said, trying to stay calm, "I was so angry about the fact that Glen was dead, and when you started to tell everybody about that little incident, I was angry enough to ignore the pleas of a truly exceptional person."

"When did you join his crew?" Snowe asked, "I didn't see you after I seen Link leave the Nest of Pirates."

"Pirates were the ones that found me in the first place." She said, "Link came back to re-supply the Dauntless, they found me in Captain Kika's quarters. I was so surprised to see that he survived, plus that Tal and Jewel chose to go with him, because they believed in his innocence." She continued, while feeling a little depressed now, "It wasn't until after they came back from Razril that I joined."

"So it was after the first time that Link decided to leave me adrift in the ocean." Snowe said.

"I know, it was one of the hardest decisions that he had ever made, along with choosing wither or not to kill me." She said, with regret.

"Kill you?" Snowe was surprised about this.

"I was the one who asked him to, but he refused," she said to clear things up, "That was where he explained everything to me, from Commander Glen's death, to showing me the Rune of Punishment which he now has on his right hand. Now I'm here to help him through everything, from command to dealing with that rune on his hand." She stopped and started breaking down into tears, "Excuse me, I need some time alone." She said before running towards the bottom door.

Viki said "I will try my best to comfort her." Before going after Katarina.

Snowe was letting everything soak in a little bit before turning to face the water.

Axel and Konrad decided to join him.

_Ten minutes later_

Axel decided to speak, "Did anybody hear about the time when me and my father arrested Link, Lino, and their party when they arrived in Na-Nal . . ."

I'll end it here. Enjoy the chapter, R&R.


	4. Link: Arrested and exiled

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Axel decided to speak, "Did anybody hear about the time when me and my father arrested Link, Lino, and their party when they arrived in Na-Nal, but they ended up saving the village at the end."

Konrad answered "I have, but they were mostly rumors."

Snowe just nodded and said, "Not really, I wasn't really paying attention by all that much."

Axel decided to fill them in. "The Crusaders were just starting out, and Na-Nal was just among the first few places that they stopped at to look for allies. The problem was that the Kooluk were the first ones there, trying for a peaceful approach to gain our allegiance. When they first arrived, they were just heading up the steps that lead to our village, but instead, ended up fighting three waves of their soldiers. After they were done, even though I was impressed by their fighting, I went decided to take them on myself with some of our soldiers. But instead of fighting, they put away their weapons. Afterwards, we arrested them, me my father, thinking that they were the savages."

Snowe wasn't surprised about the arrest part, "Not much different from around when he got exiled."

"Actually, there is a big difference." Konrad stated.

Snowe looked at him and asked "In what way?"

"Link was just as well known in Razril as you were. In Na-Nal, he was just another person asking for help in a war." Konrad answered, "Please continue, Axel."

Axel took a deep breath, and continued his story, "After we arrested them, my father, the mayor of the island, and I gave them a choice of doing a little something for us in order to gain their freedom, which they instantly agree to in order to fix their mistakes. The task was to get some kind of potion for us from the elf colony that was living not to far from our village. After they came back, we decided to give it to the Kooluk Soldiers, and that was our biggest mistake. We ordered Link and his party back to their ship, and I was their escort. Before we got near the docks, Selma came and arrested all of us. As soon as we were inside the prison, the head elf told us that they added a special ingredient to their potion."

"Poisoned" Snowe said, knowing what was coming.

Axel nodded before continuing, "It was their revenge to us for trying to give up the island without their say in the matter. They also planned on punishing us even worse, but after they left the room, Selma came back and set us free, telling us how much she hates the racial boundaries between humans and elves. By the time we made it back to the village, the Kooluk Soldiers were killing the villagers from left to right, thinking that we have double-crossed them by poisoning their troops. I went on ahead to fight them, not expecting to live. Yet again Link and his party surprised me by joining in the fight against the Kooluk, no matter what the outcome. After that, we both apologized for everything, well they gain first ally. My father sent me along to help out with the cause, and be a representative for my island. On the way, Selma was banished from her village, so she decided to come along with us." Axel decided to end it there.

Snowe was not surprised. Link was never afraid to help somebody, like that one girl back at Razril, during the knight ceremony. Even though they were still beginners, they still did well. He turned to Konrad before asking "What about you? How did you join?"

Konrad answered, "I joined after Razril was freed from Kooluk control. Katarina was with him when they were looking for more people to join their crew. I was glad that they were both doing well."

Snowe decided to asked that question that was plaguing his mind, "Konrad, were you in Razril during Kooluk's occupation?" Konrad nodded, "Can you tell me what the people were saying during that time?"

"You're not going to like it," Axel said, giving a fair warning.

"I'll take my chances." Snowe replied.

"Well to start things off, before this whole mess started, not all the people thought very highly of you." Snowe wasn't very surprise by this comment, "Most of them though that you were somebody who never learned about the true value of hard work."

Snowe decided to turn this into a real conversation, "I've heard it all before. Since my father was with Gaien, he ran the island like he was the only authority to contend to. Because of that, he made sure that I never have to work hard for everything."

"Link on the other hand had to earn everything." Konrad continued, "He worked hard to earn everybody's trust. Commander Glen even believed he had potential, which is why he decided to train him personally. Glen didn't want to train you because of your upbringing, he knew that your father would never understand his methods, so if you got hurt even by a little, Glen would have gotten fired. Everybody else simply loved Link because of who he was and what he did."

Snowe nodded, knowing that his father was nothing more than a big political rat. He definitely wasn't going to let his father forget what he did to him when the Kooluk arrived. " What about during the Kooluk occupation?" He asked.

"Well your popularity blew up to pieces, which I'm pretty sure you figured out when the townspeople started to shoot fire arrows at you." Snowe just gave a little sigh, "Everybody in Razril was willing to fight to the bitter end, something you never figured out. But as soon as word first came around about the Crusaders, everyone was glad to know that there was somebody giving the Kooluk big problems. When they heard rumors about the fact that Link was their commander, plus the captain of his own ship, then they were both glad and unsure. Glad that he is still alive, unsure if it is nothing but a mere coincidence. To tell you the truth, there never were anything said about Link that was bad among the public."

Snowe lost some of his composure there, "Nothing bad about Link! Even after he was exiled?"

Konrad shook his head. "After the exile, everybody was furious because he wasn't even giving the chance to prove his innocence. All it took was a story from you what happened to Glen and that was that."

Now Snowe felt liked he just got punched in the face a second, being reminded again that Snowe was the one who got him exiled in the first place. He decided to stop there. "I'll go walk around the ship, gather my thoughts."

Axel and Konrad nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'll go get a drink from Louise," Axel said.

"I'll join you." Konrad stated afterwards before they both started heading towards the door to the saloon.

Snowe walked up to the bridge of the Dauntless.

I'll end here, try to keep the info down to a bare minimum. Last minute warning: only between ¼ and 1/3 of the crew well be giving their stories to Snowe. Read & Review, and I apologize if I ticked off any Snowe fans.


	5. Something in common

SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Snowe walked into the bridge, nodding his head to night shift crew. Reinbach was placed in charge, with Eugene providing back up.

"How are you doing Eugene?" Snowe asked. Even though they just met, he felt like they both had something in common.

"Fine, and how about you?" Eugene responded.

"I'm well, how about you, Reinbach?" Snowe turned to the other person.

"I'm fine. I see you ticked off the wrong people, judging from that punch from Captain Kika." Reinbach stated, trying to keep his mind on his work, "You didn't by any chance speak badly about Captain Link?"

Snowe just nodded before saying, "Captain Link, Commander Link, even Sir Link, no matter how many times I hear it . . ."

"You wish it was all just one big dream, where all you have to do is wake up, and go back to the way it was before this whole mess even started?" Reinbach asked, as if though he just read his mind.

"Yeah, somewhere between after the graduation ceremony and before that first assignment. Although I wonder if Link still would have been a captain of his own ship, if he was still a Knight of Gaien."

The next thing anybody knew, there was around of "Yes," Definitely," Oh yeah."

Eugene, Snowe, and Reinbach look around as the bridge was giving Snowe their answers.

"I agree with them." Eugene said

"So do I." Reinbach stated.

"Why is that?" Snowe asked, wishing that he didn't.

Eugene decided to ask him with a question of his own, "First, can you tell me what makes a good leader?"

Snowe thought about this carefully before answering, "The only thing I learned about leadership was the kind my father taught me. Lead by showing off power, and when something stronger shows up, run for your life."

Reinbach nodded, "My father is the same way, except that when it came for choosing sides, he decided to make sure that Middleport stays neutral."

"Then why did you join?" Snowe asked.

"Because I didn't agree with my father, so I wanted to be apart of a noble cause." He said, "And what couldn't be more noble, and exciting, than to become a Crusader and their fight for freedom. I also wanted to pay Sir Link back for both eliminating my father's pet, (the big octopus looking thing outside of the Middleport Harbor), and for that little errand I put him through. I told him that I join his crew if he gets the Rose Crest from Gareth in Na-Nay Island and bring it back to me. He didn't have to, but he did anyway. After this, I brought Micky along because my father fired him after his precious pet was destroyed."

"I've noticed that despite your noble status, you still do work of that of a lowly sailor." Snowe stated, "Has anybody tried to make sure that you get the royal treatment?"

Reinbach nodded before saying, "Micky and Etienne tried to convince Sir Link to do that, but he stated simply that everybody has to earn their keep no matter what, or they can leave at the next port. I agreed to earn my keep before I came aboard in the first place, so I asked them to respect my wish and they did."

"And it took you how long to get over the pain?" Eugene said, with a little smirk plastered on his face.

"You're one to talk, considering that you were so petrified, that one single tap on shoulder would have jumped overboard." Reinbach said with a similar smirk.

Snowe was getting a little confused about what was going on here, but decided to asked Eugene, "So why did you join if you didn't feel up to it?"

Eugene still had that smirk, no longer ashamed, "My mother signed me up as soon as the Dauntless made their second visit to Na-Nal, just before the Captain and some of the crew decided to turn in for the night. She said that being with the Crusaders will make me a better person. Now I'm glad that she did."

"You are lucky. My father just wants me to maintain the fear in our town." Snowe said.

"Mine too." Reinbach said.

They just stood there for a while until Nalleo came up to the bridge.

"Ready to go, Eugene?" he asked

"Go ahead, Eugene, I'll be fine until my next shift." Reinbach said.

Eugene nodded and walked off the bridge with Nalleo, starting a conversation, "So has Captain Link come out of his cabin yet?"

Nalleo answered, "Yeah, Rachael told him that Millay was just getting a little drink at the saloon this time, so he decided to grab some dinner."

"And I'm pretty sure he's down on the third floor, eating and chatting with his comrades from Razril."

As soon as they were out of an earshot, Snowe just stood there for a sec, absorbing what he just heard. "You mean that even though he is the captain, he still hangs out with his 'friends'?" He asked, still not sure if his former comrades-in-arms still considered him as one of their friends.

"You bet, you can hear the laughter, even on the second deck." They both looked to see Flare coming up into the bridge. "There'll be five, six, or even seven of them together, just spending time together while they still can." Snowe gave her a blank look, "Since everybody on this ship are here just fighting for the same cause, when its all over with, everyone of us will be going back to living our own lives again."

Snowe never thought about this, he was busy avoiding the whole crew, either guilt for his past deeds or fear from anyone who might still be holding a grudge against him. "Same for Link?" he asked.

Everybody in the room had a grim look on their face. "Right now, he's too focused on everything else, especially with that rune on his hand." Reinbach answered.

Snowe decided to end it there, noticing how everybody seemed to be getting depressed about this topic.

Flare decided to get back to the business at hand right, "Reinbach, I'm here to takeover the bridge for you."

Reinbach just nodded his head, and walked out the door to enjoy the view.

Snowe decided to go down the stairs, to the dining area on the third floor, to fill his stomach.

As soon as he entered the dining area, he noticed Link, Tal, Jewel, Keneth, Paula, and Katarina were right there, on the other side of the room. He just stood, thinking what he should do now.

Read and review. Enjoy.


	6. Choices that were made

SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

As soon as he entered the dining area, he noticed Link, Tal, Jewel, Keneth, Paula, and Katarina were right there, on the other side of the room. He just stood, thinking what he should do now.

Snowe watched as everyone was just talking in laughing, having a good old time. He was just starting to remember something before he shook it off and took the nearest seat next to the stairs.

He was about to order some food when a "Hey Snowe!" caught his attention.

He looked up to see that Funghi was standing in front of him with a big smile on his face.

"Ready to order?" he asked Snowe.

"Just give me some soup, some bread, and something to drink." Snowe replied, Funghi nodded his head to the order, "So what happened to you in Razril?" he asked.

"I was cooking up food for the Kooluk. Some were pretty kind, including Helmut, while the rest were nothing but a bunch of no good jerks." Funghi said, with a hint of anger in her voice, before going back to her oven to make Snowe's meal.

Snowe was in complete shock. Even though he gave the Kooluk control over Razril without a fight with good intensions, yet they still treated the town and its citizens like they were lower than dirt.

He looked around until he noticed that he was sitting near Lino En Kuldes and Elenor Silverburg, both just chewing the fat.

Lino noticed Snowe and pointed him out to Elenor. She looked at him, than nodded as if she knew what he was thinking. They both moved so they can both be next to him.

"How are you feeling, Snowe?" Lino asked.

"Just feeling a little depressed right now." Snowe said.

"Depressed about what?" Elenor asked, having a pretty good clue what it was.

Funghi came and gave Snowe the food he ordered.

"I was told what happened in Razril after I gave it to the Kooluk without a fight." Snowe stated, in shock that the deal he made with Graham Cray after giving info on the location of the Rune of Punishment for the safety of the people of Razril, it turned out to be nothing more than a big fat lie.

"Plus the fact that your own father didn't even send a single ship to help you out makes things worse right?" Lino asked. Snowe just nodded. "He was an even bigger idiot for trying to get us arrested after we freed the town."

"He did what now?" Snowe asked, while eating his food, not really surprised at how much pride his own father has compared to his own.

"When we went to free Razril from the Kooluk's crummy hands, one of the Galen ships that was with them switched to our side, giving us quite the advantage. It was after their defeat that we encountered Helmut. He offered his life if it would protect the lives of the crew he commanded. Link decided to spare his life, and gave him a choice: Join the Crusaders or leave. So he joined, and we ended up with some more people to help run the fleet." Lino started to explain.

Elenor decided to finish for him. "When we landed at Razril, the whole town welcomed us with open arms. As soon as the townsfolk caught a glimpse of Link setting foot back into Razril for the first time since being exiled, that crowd was beyond happy knowing that he was doing better than ever."

Snowe was taking a sip from his drink and sighed.

She continued, "Link and his friends went around the town gathering up people who are willing to help out with our fight against the Kooluk, the whole town went to the Training Hall. Just as soon as Link gave that little 'speech', the whole town rallied their support for the Crusaders' efforts."

Snowe was fighting the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. Link was able to get the citizens of Razril to back his decision, while Snowe ended up with a bunch of fire arrows for just handing the town over to the Kooluk.

Just then, Snowe looked up as he heard a huge laugh from the other end of the booth.

Read and Review.


	7. Dinner and a story

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Snowe was fighting the urge to scream at the top of his lungs. Link was able to get the citizens of Razril to back his decision, while Snowe ended up with a bunch of fire arrows for just handing the town over to the Kooluk.

Just then, Snowe looked up as he heard a huge laugh from the other end of the booth.

"Did you hear about Tal's latest kiss?" Keneth asked.

Jewel, Paula, and Katarina shook their heads no, while Tal and Link were trying to act like they were trying to remember.

Snowe tuned them out, not wanting to listen. He looked over to Elenor and Lino, and asked, "You were saying something about what happened after Link gave his speech in Razril."

Elenor nodded before continuing, "When Link and some of us step out of the Knight's Hall, the whole town was cheering like crazy, when your father decided to step in. He started pointing fingers at us, accusing us of trying to take the town from him, and sent the two guards he had with him to kill Link, thinking that he won't put up a fight."

A laugh, larger than the last one, caught their attention.

Tal had his hands over his face, laughing hard with everyone else.

"You mean the fish that Link caught on his fishing rod," Jewel started in between laughs, "flew off the hook, _(laugh)_ crashed into Tal, _(laugh)_ and they ended up mouth-to-mouth!" She finished before going back to her fits of laughter.

Tal face was getting all red from embarrassment while he was still laughing it up.

Keneth continued, "You should have seen the look on his face . . ."

Snowe asked, after tuning him out, "Can we get back to Razril please?"

"Razril, right," Lino answered, "Well your father was pretty pathetic to think that was going to be easy. He thought beating a bunch of 'pirates' would be easier that fighting the Kooluk without realizing one little fact: that if we could defeat a fleet of Kooluk ships, what chances does he have with us? Apparently none, since he didn't even notice the person getting ready to fight alongside him." He finished before ordering another drink, looked at Elenor who nodded yes, and indicated two drinks.

They then noticed Link getting ready to leave. "That was fun everyone, now I better go get a few things taken care of before I turn in for the night."

"Don't overdo it, Link." Tal said.

"Yeah, Link, we're all here for you." Jewel finished, everybody getting ready to leave themselves.

"I know, I know." Link said, while leaving.

As soon as he went downstairs, four of the mermaids came from the second floor, carrying a bunch of stuff in nets.

"Hey ladies, I see that you have been busy." Keneth stated, starting a conversation while everybody else left to do their own thing.

"Who was fighting with him?" Snowe asked, determined to finish this conversation.

"Kika was." Lino answered, "As soon as those guards started to attack, those two drew their swords and took them out at the same time, in perfect synch too. After that, Vingerhut lost his nerve completely." He finished before taking a sip of his drink.

"That pathetic fool was even crazy enough to try and sell Razril to Link," Elenor continued, "but the townspeople tolled him to get lost, among other things, and he did, realizing that nobody was afraid of him anymore. Razril became an independent nation afterwards." She finished, just as Funghi came to take Snowe's dishes.

Just then, with Keneth and the mermaids already gone, Akaghi and Mizuki came from the floor above and took seats across from the three, greeted them, and took their orders.

"Don't you two work for Mr. Ramada?" Snowe asked them.

"We used to, until we tried to take that rune from Sir Link's hand." Mizuki replied, both showing signs of guilt.

Lino decided to explain it to Snowe. "You see, Cray sent them and Ramada to kill Link, and bring the rune back with them." A smack on the counter caused them to look at Akaghi.

"That jerk was treating us like we were nothing more than tools! He sent us to get that rune without telling us its true nature! Plus even if had succeed, he would have personally killed all of us to obtain the rune!" Akaghi stated with pure anger and hatred.

Mizuki talked while trying to calm him down, "We were sent to kill Sir Link and take the rune, but unfortunately for us, both Sir Link and Tal proved to be more of a match against us. After we were defeated, they took us to see the king who explained everything to us: the curse, the consequences, everything." Akaghi calm down some, while Mizuki was feeling depressed.

Setsu just came out of the bath ran by Taisuke, and took a seat near Pam & Kevin and ordered some of their food. He looked around and noticed the two ninjas sitting across from his king. "Don't you two have some work that needs to be done?" he asked pretty loudly.

Just as their meals arrived, both Akaghi and Mizuki yelled back at him, "And don't you need to lose some weight, lard butt?" causing everybody in the room to burst out laughing, causing Setsu to go red with anger, even redder after seeing Lino laughing just as hard.

Trying to maintain their balance, were Sigurd, Hervey, and Helmut, who have just arrived to witness their little show. Just as soon as they calm down some, they took a seat next to Mizuki.

"So what happened after Lino told you about the rune?" Snowe asked, glad to have a reason to laugh again.

"Mr. Ramada offered his life if the king would spare our lives, so instead, he places us under Sir Link's care stating that he can do what sees fit. After that, Mr. Ramada gave us his last order to us: That we well no longer be working for him, but will be following Sir Link's orders during this war." Mizuki answered, before pointing to Akaghi, "Akaghi at first reminded Sir Link that he will be long gone after this is over, mainly out of fear after seeing that rune in action."

"I'll admit, I want to get as far away from that rune as possible, but after spending some time with everyone, including Link, I felt something that I could never describe." Akaghi said.

"I feel the same way," Helmut started, "While I was serving with the Kooluk, I never seen a crew this loyal to anyone, ever. It was more like every man for himself, but here, there are no barriers what so ever. I have seen elves that can walk around without fear of being hated or abused, The Nay-Kobolds are allowed to roam around here to learn new things, and even the Mermaids are allowed to stay here without the fear of being skinned. There are even kids, both with and without families, allowed to run around the ship, making this ship seem more like a floating town."

"And the fact that nobody is judged by who they are or what they did is an added bonus, right?" Lino asked.

Helmut just nodded yes, before saying, "At first I thought that everybody was going to reject me because of who I was, but thanks to these two clowns," he said while pointing to Sigurd and Hervey, who were both whistling and acting innocent, "I learned that the Crusaders are more like one big happy family."

"Come on, Jeremy!" Everyone turned to see Mitsuba begging really hard to a very proud young man, "Tell me how you were able to beat me so badly!"

Jeremy turned around, smile still on his face, "Sir Link taught me a few tricks on how to remain calm and a few other things." He said before continuing on his way to the bath, leaving a shocked Mitsuba behind, with her jaw stuck on the ground, before turning around and ran downstairs to give Link an earful.

Snowe's mind was somewhere else. 'A family?' he thought, "I never thought of that, or how the Dauntless can be so much more than a simple ship.' He than finally decided to take a real look around the Boutiques (third floor):

Funghi, Pam and Kevin were talking and cooking, enjoying each others company while talking to some of the crew and family members.

Nalleo, Eugene, and Rakgi were just walking by towards the bath, talking and laughing.

Adrienne was pounding away on Bartholomew's Ocean Spear, with him waiting patiently.

Dario was busy flirting with Jeane, who whacked him on the head with her Crystal Rod, causing Sigurd and Hervey to laugh on his account.

Nabokov was appraising a few things that Shiramine had just fished up in his net.

Noah, Rene, and Rita were heading downstairs, giggling along the way to who knows where.

Chandler was getting ready to close up shop for the rest of the day.

Bang was bored to death since everyone heard about his little secret.

Then Dario interrupted his train of thought. "Hey, haven't I seen you from somewhere before?" Dario asked, trying to think back.

Snowe was trying to remember when it hit him, "Wait, aren't you the pirate that lead the attack against Razril?"

"Two actually." Sigurd answered.

Dario finally remembered, "Oh yeah I remember, you're that crazy kid who was crazy enough to take on two ships on his own!" he said with a chuckle.

What's his response? Wait and see. Next chapter, should I or shouldn't I put him in the confession room? Read and Review.


	8. Remembering the Past

SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

"What are you talking about, I would have seceded if . . ." Snowe shouted back in anger.

"Sir Link hadn't come by to save your hide, I know." Dario said, waving him off, "But if it was me fighting the captain, ship-to-ship or hand-to-hand . . ."

"He would still kick your sorry butt, even without that rune." Hervey said, with a laugh.

It was when Snowe realized what Sigurd just said, "What do you mean by two attacks?"

Dario was feeling a little sore about Hervey's statement, "We was hired by Ramada to attack your town to assess your strength due to some light he saw after that attack from Brandeau's attack That first wave was just a warm-up, even though your friend proved himself to be equally matched to me."

"He clobbered you badly, didn't he?" Helmut said, not really asking, "From what I've seen when I battled him at Razril, he is truly gifted for somebody his age." He than took one look at Snowe, showing no sympathy whatsoever, "And from what I've seen from that last ship battle you initiated when we tried to leave, well that would have been where I say he made a big fool out of you, but then again, its hard to make a fool out of somebody who already is a fool." (A/N: sorry, bad cliché.)

Snowe was starting to get steamed, when a loud boom, followed by the ship shaking a little, made him jump. When he looked around, he noticed everybody went about their business, like nothings happen, "What was that?" He asked, starting to become annoyed.

Nobody answered him, and when he was about to ask a second time, Ted came up from the second floor. "Hey Ted, what happen just now?" Lino asked the silent archer.

"Not much, just Mitsuba giving Link an earful about something," Ted answered, "and just as it looked like she was going to slug him; Helga intercepted with one her punches, sending her straight into the elevator doors."

"How much damage was it this time?" Elenor asked, before taking a sip of her drink.

"Enough to cause Manu to faint since he just got off of the elevator, and now he has to take it out of service for a while until he gets it working again." Ted answered before taking a seat next to the king.

Helga came up the stairs just as Ted placed an order, "So did Tov chew you out again for damaging the ship?" Funghi asked.

"No, he let me off the hook for protecting Sir Link, and he was too busy trying to slap Manu awake while the captain decided to help Mitsuba to the ward." Helga answered, "Now if you excuse me, I have to go relieve Gretchen of guard duty." She said before going upstairs.

Snowe was already steaming again, "What did you mean by that fool comment?" He shouted out, getting peoples attention.

"Only a fool is stupid enough to go at things head on while driven by ego, while a true warrior fights with honor and heart. Even Sir Troy fights the same way as Sir Link." Helmut said, just before he decided to place his order.

Snowe froze into place, starting to remember how Commander Glen said almost word for word the exact same thing to him after he hit him with his right fist just after the first pirate invasion.

Link just came up from the fourth floor just at the exact same time Gretchen came down from the second, and he just stopped to make sure they didn't bump into each other. "Sir Link, I thought I should let you know that Lilin is waiting in your cabin." Gretchen said.

"Thanks Gretchen." Link said, while giving her a couple of light taps on her shoulder, before heading up the stairs, "By the way, get as much rest as you can because you have the night shift on the bridge tomorrow."

"Yes, captain." She said, before heading downstairs.

"So are you giving Lilin another 'lesson' tonight?" Hervey asked, with a perverted grin.

"Do I have to ask Kika to teach you one?" Link countered with a question of his own, causing the color on Hervey's face to disappear completely.

"By the way, Link," Elenor said, getting his attention, "I remember last week that when I was leaving my room, I noticed that Lilin had left your cabin with her face completely red, and a small smile. Care to tell us what that was all about?"

Link was giving a slight blush himself, "Let's just say we both had our first kiss." He answered, "Anyway, Lino, we're approaching Obel, so I would like for you to do the trade run on this one."

"You got it." Lino said with his usual smile.

Setsu on the other hand, "Who are you to treat his majesty in such a manner?" He said, angry that this boy would treat the king like a lowly sailor, "And what makes you think that I won't have you reprimanded for such treatment?"

"What makes you think nobody would have you arrested for treason and mutiny against a captain?" Link responded, before going up the stairs.

"Besides Setsu, my power as king is only good on land." Lino said, "And in Kika's words . . ."

"On a ship the captain has absolute power." Dario finished, finally getting what the pirate queen said.

"Congratulations Dario, you finally learned something." Sigurd said, starting another argument between the two.

"So, what do you plan on trading in Obel?" Elenor asked.

Just as he reached the turning point on the stairs, he quickly responded "Oh perhaps some of your wine." Before hightailing it upstairs just as a glass shattered behind him.

"Smartass." Elenor said, before ordering another drink.

Snowe was starting to suffocate from this little atmosphere, from people pointing out his faults to seeing how close so many people can be despite their status. He got up, and started walking down the stairs, just in time to hear "I still don't understand why Tov will put his majesty's life at risk by placing his room near that blasted rune . . ."

"That rune is the only thing strong enough to protect everyone from certain doom." Ted retaliated.

Just as he was out of hearing range, he started to get curious about what he just heard, so he decided to go straight to the library. He saw Tov and Manu trying to fix the elevator which has what appears to be a human shaped imprint on it.

Just as he was halfway through the hallway, he saw Rikie coming out of her room. "Well hello Snowe. I see you are doing well since you were recovered from the sea." She said, in her motherly voice.

Snowe just gave a small smile, "I'm doing fine, although I'm still getting used being with people again." He replied, "I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't really feel like sharing my feelings with anyone, at the moment."

Just as he was near the library entrance, he heard Rikie say "Sir Link told me that the Rune of Punishment was originally suppose to go to him after he defeated Brandeau, but Sir Glen just happen to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time."

Snowe just stood there for a second before entering the library.

Well, here is the update, so enjoy. Read and Review. Hope nobody minds who I hook the hero with.


	9. Finally Starting to Learn

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Snowe was standing around, looking through the books that Tanya keeps in there, trying to see if they have any info on the True Runes. After some of the things he heard about the Rune of Punishment, he had to find out what he hasn't heard about through the rumor mill. He looked up just in time to notice what looked like a charred Oleg, with his hair shooting out in all directions. "What the hell happened to you?" Snowe couldn't help asking since this is his first time seeing the young inventor like this.

Oleg turned to look at Snowe while he took off his glasses, "I was working on a project for the Captain when I accidentally crossed a pair of wires." He answered while he wiped off his glasses and placing them back onto his nose.

"What kind of project?" Snowe asked, somewhat interested in what goes through the mind of someone like Oleg.

Oleg couldn't help but to smile when it came to explaining his creations, "The Captain wanted me to see if I could find a way to install some kind of device that would allow the people on this ship to communicate with each other when they're on different levels." He then looked at the book in Snowe's hand, "May I ask what you are doing at the moment?"

Snowe looked down, all of a sudden remembering what he was doing there in the first place. "I was trying to see the story on the True Runes, but I haven't found the book for it yet."

"The book you are looking for" Tanya said, while scaring the two guys into submission when she came around the corner, "is on that table in the corner there." She said, pointing to table next to the wall map.

"Thanks Tanya." Snowe said, while he was placing the book back onto the shelf. When he reached the table, he couldn't help but overhearing the conversation going on behind his back.

"Would you like to go on another date when we reach Obel?" Oleg asked the librarian.

"I haven't turned you down yet, have I?" Tanya answered back, smiling.

Snowe lost the rest when he found the page that he was looking for, mainly on the Ruin of Punishment: The Rune of Punishment governs atonement and punishment, attaching itself to a bearer's left arm. _The Rune has tremendous destructive power; however, it comes at the cost of the bearer's own vitality. When the wielder's lifeforce is at an end, their memories are absorbed by the rune, and the person bearing the rune turns to dust. The Rune then appears on the closest person to the late owner. _

Snowe couldn't help but shake at the last part. If he had shown up just a moment earlier, then not only would he deny a lot of people of their happiness on board this ship, although Maxine is different story, but he would go through two of the hardest things in his life: Sending his best friend out to his death, and being used by his father as a weapon against the Kooluk.

"It's scary isn't it?" A feminine voice rang out from him, scaring Snowe from his thoughts, "How something so powerful could also come with a heavy price." Snowe turned to see Frederica to his left, looking at what he was reading.

"And the fact that I would have been next is just scarier." Snowe said, recalling the memory of the day that everything really changed for everybody. "Did you find the info you needed on Graham Cray?"

Frederica just had an angry look on her face, "Yes, and some of it makes me even more frustrated." She answered, while looking at Snowe who had a curious look on his face, "When I went to talk to Helmut to see if he ever met Cray face to face, he told me no, but he has heard rumors that Cray has a mechanical left hand."

"Actually he does. I saw it one time while I was at El-Eal." Snowe said, while missing a mean look appearing in Frederica's eyes.

"Wouldn't surprise me any since you sold out your best friend to save your hide." She said, causing Snowe to give her his look of anger, "Anyway, from what I read from those old books, the elders in the Scarlet Moon council decided to do a little hunting, unfortunately the prey were other people." The look of disbelief on Snowe's face was an understandable one since she had the same look, "And they decided to set their sites on a village that was on the border of both Scarlet Moon and Kooluk empires. From what Sir Link has told me from some of the memories he received, this is where Graham Cray started his decent into the darkness. Cray used to live in that village with his son, just living the normal life. It wasn't until somehow the Rune found its way onto Graham's hand, and in order to avoid the same fate as those before him, he cut off his hand above the wrist. What happened next was beyond anybody's call, when the Rune moved onto the hand of his son's. When that happened, he made his son promise not to use it, no matter what." She said, although she could feel a little pity for the guy, it was his desire for the Rune that made think twice about questioning his character.

"I'm guessing this is where the 'where things go really bad' part starts.

Frederica could only nod at this before continuing, "A few days later was when the hunters showed up and started to kill people just for the fun of it. That was when the young Cray decided to use the Rune to try and protect his father and the village from harm, but at the cost of his own life. Cray was among the few villagers to survive the whole ordeal, and when word reached the Scarlet Moon king about the activities taking by his own council, he decided to reprimand them big time. As for the rest, well everybody else has there own little story to tell."

Snowe just nodded before library. When he was out the door, he couldn't help feel sorry for those whose lives were permanently changed whenever the Rune of Punishment showed itself. He looked across the hall to notice the door that led into the judged side of the confession room, so he decided to go inside and get some things off his chest.

When he walked in, he heard Keen give the usual greetings before he asked the usual questions. Right now he was hoping he didn't end up like Reinbach or Dario.

Would you secretly inform me about anyone on board this ship who you think is causing problems?

Igor. I've noticing him trying to use two-headed coin to win his games.

A slight _'I knew it'_ was heard before he started on the next question.

Then, would you tell me what you think of Link?

I think he is a good captain, a great swordsman, and an even better friend.

Now came the final question

Finally, quietly confess the things you wish to atone for, or all the things that you are thankful for.

I'm thankful for getting another chance in life, even though I probably don't deserve it. The person that I want to atone my actions to most of all, and I can't do it because my pride keeps getting in the way.

When he finished, he quickly closed his eyes, waiting for his sentence. When he felt something landing all over him, he opened his eyes to see a bright light with confetti floating down. "You might not realize this, but on this ship, the only thing we're about is giving people another chance to live." Could be heard from the other side, before Snowe left the room.

Snowe stood in the hall for a bit before spotting Aldo walking towards his direction, looking a little sweaty. "Where have you been?" He asked the tall archer out of the blue.

"Oh I was doing a little training to help clear out my mind." He answered back, before looking him in the eyes, "Maybe you should give it a little try." He said, before entering the library, only to be chewed out by Tanya.

It only took about a minute before Snowe decided to take his advice and headed towards the stairs at the other end.

I'll end it here, since I'm still working on new stories, updating current ones, and also trying to get all my characters mixed up in the story. Enjoy, Read & Review.


	10. Wisdom of an Old Warrior

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Author's warning: I am not going to describe all the people in this story, so play the game.

Snowe was just getting off of the stairs when he saw Kate coming out of the Ship Wright's room, before heading towards his direction. Unlike the others, she seemed a little cold towards him. When she walked past him, the only thing she said was "You're lucky that Sir Link manage to get to me before we met or else otherwise you wouldn't be having any children in the near future."

Just as she left, Snowe couldn't help but feel more attached to his boys, before heading towards the training the room. Just as he reached for the door handle, he could hear an argument going in the cultivation room behind him, only to shake his head because he heard enough time to know what it is about. He didn't want to try and break it up because those two tend to creep him out.

When he walked in, he looked to see Izak, with his Sword of Purging, was having a one-on-one fight with Reinhold and his Aged Bamboo Spear. Both weren't going at it with the intent to accidentally maim or kill each other. After about five minutes, they ended in a draw, Izak's sword near his opponent's neck, and Reinhold's spear right at his throat. Both gave a small smile before removing their weapons from each other and grabbed the others hand for a friendly shake, "Good training." Izak said.

"Agreed." Reinhold said, before turning towards his recent guest, "So Snowe, I take it that you're either here to train, or did you just come by to watch our little training session."

Snowe just stood there as he answered, "I'm here to train, mainly to get some things off of my mind."

Both of the older men nodded at this, while Izak was placing his sword back into its holder, "Well, I think I'll go take a little dip in that hot tub for a bit before I have my dinner." Izak said, before leaving.

Reinhold just nodded at this before deciding to leave as well, "If you want, you can either train with one of the dummies or practice your sword styles. Just make sure everything is put away before you leave."

After about a half hour of remembering the stuff he learned at the academy, he sat down to take a small break. While he did manage to forget some of the humiliation that was thrown at him, he was slowly starting to realize that maybe the only person who really embarrassed him was himself. He started to think back when they were still children, just having as much fun as possible, even when they were with Keneth and the rest of their group. The only thing that got in his way was his father who was too busy reminding everyone who is the one running Razril. Even when they started out in the academy, it was more troubling for him then most people would of expected since he was the son of the islands governor, he was automatically the top of his class even though that position was more fitted for Link instead.

Unfortunately for Link, even though he proven himself to be a more capable Marine then Snowe from swordsmanship to navigation, he would always be reminded that he was just a servant compared to Snowe, except that Commander Glen and most of those inside of the academy thought differently. Even though Link was only given a room next to the kitchen, and not far from Glen's own room, he was still treated with more respect since he was more outgoing and reliable compared to him.

What he didn't want to admit out loud was that he felt a little jealous towards Flare and the king since their relationship was more family related than it was about who was going to keep the fear of a country's government going.

He stood up, and did what Reinhold asked of him to do before locking up. When he looked around, he noticed Lilin entering the accessories shop, so he followed. When he entered, he saw four mermaid sisters giving the blonde one a hard time since she was trying to cover up a blush. Feeling that this was a family moment, he closed the door and went into the shipwright's room. When he entered, he saw Phil working on an outfit he didn't recognize. It looked a little bit like it was fit for a king, or more precise, one that's not afraid to go head-to-head with somebody. "What outfit is that?" Snowe asked

"This the Pirate King set. I'm just making sure that it'll fit Sir Link perfectly." Phil said, not even looking up as he spoke.

"Pirate King set? Shouldn't that go to Kika?" Snowe asked.

"Sir Link offered it to her after they completed the set, but Kika turned it down and thought that it would better suit Sir Link instead since he is the only one that she would trust her life with." Phil answered, before saying, "Not to be rude or anything, but this requires my full attention. I just don't have the time for chitchat right now."

Snowe just nodded and left. While he was thinking up his next move, "My, my, my, if it isn't young master Snowe actually trying to think of something other then himself?" Snowe turned to see Colton, the former commander of Kooluk's 2nd fleet, sitting on the bed that was apart of his cell. He walked over to talk to the prisoner.

"Why do people treat me like that? Everything I do always seems to be wrong while everything that Link does always seem to be right?" Snowe asked, "I was only trying to avoid the chances of having so much bloodshed when you do decide to invade."

Colton only gave a slight grunt before saying "Are you sure you weren't waiting for your father to come save you since it was always either him or Glen that were always there to save your hide whenever things don't go the way you want them to. Even Link had to be there to hold your hand when you were feeling afraid. That is what I've been told by a lot of people who used to live in Razril, to confirm my suspension about you."

"You were suspicious of me?" Snowe shouted out the questions, "Why would you be suspicious of me? I came to you out of goodwill."

"Because of the fact that you were so well informed about where the Rune was, that I wasn't sure if you were in it for yourself or if you were trying to get back at someone who did you wrong. After talking to young Link and finding out how he got to obtain that blasted Rune, and how everything had change, one can't help but respect someone who doesn't succumb to such power so easily. You on the other hand just threw everything away because you couldn't stand the fact that there was actually somebody who could get the job done without hesitation."

"Yes, and they have listened to me in the first place, then none of this would have happen." Snowe said back.

"Except that knowing that your father would either be ashamed of your cowardice, you probably would have lost your rank, or he would just shift the blame to Link, tarnishing his record and ruining his life in the process. In some ways you're not much different from some children I met who couldn't handle the real world too well because they were sheltered for most of their entire lives. This is why people are always flocking towards Link; his actions are for someone other then himself. Your actions are only to prove to everyone, including yourself that you're not as useless as people claim you to be."

Snowe couldn't take much more of this, so he turned and left. Before he was out of the brig area, He heard Colton call out "You know you should consider yourself lucky that Link still cares about you, even just a little bit. If he didn't you would have died much sooner and you wouldn't be here having people tell you about where all your faults lie."

Snowe just kept going, 'I think I need to pay a visit to the Saloon right away.' He thought to himself before going up the stairs.

Sorry this chapter is so short, but I was starting to run out of characters to throw in. Right now, there will be two more chapters left before I call this story complete. Read and Review.


	11. Truth about Yourself

**SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

The saloon was booming with happiness and activity, you wouldn't think there was a war going on right now. All three Lo siblings were currently trying out some of the games being offered, while also avoiding Igor since a lot of people know that he cheats.

"Hey Snowe, need a drink or something?" Snowe turned just as he was greeted by Louise, while Desmond was on the other side of the bar, talking to Axel and Konrad.

"Yeah, just give me something that would help calm my nerves without any after effects." Snowe answered, while looking over the joint.

On the balcony, the gentle music coming from Etienne can be heard all over the room, while Charlemagne was on one of the chairs below having a little talk with Oskar and Deborah, who were currently sitting on the couch.

Ornan is currently sharing stories with Gary, while Ema was currently having a little girl talk with Rachel.

"The way that everyone's so cheerful in here, you can never tell that there is a war going on outside." Snowe said.

"Well that's the idea." Louise replied, while handing Snowe his drink, "With all the fighting and traveling we've been doing, especially the Cray Trading Company giving us a headache because we got some things they want so badly," She says the next part more to herself, "or rather some ones."

Snowe picked up on it, having already heard about one of the reasons why the mermaid sisters are here on the ship, "So basically this place is just a way to get away from it all for a while." He said.

"This and the hot tubs," Konrad said, "although ever since Gareth made that statue of Link, everyone started to feel right at home here."

Snowe started to think about what he should talk about next, when Basil showed up to take a little break from his game, "Hey Snowe, it's been awhile." He greeted his old friend from Razril.

Snowe looked up to see the young boy he used to talk to whenever he and Link went out to enjoy a little fun in the town, "Hey Basil, can you be honest with me if I were to ask you a personal question?" He asked, yet he had to clear something up when Basil got a strange look on his face, "Not **that** personal."

"Well in that case, sure." Basil answered.

"Recently I've been hearing everybody explaining why things have been going so well with Link while everything I did was a complete disaster. I was wondering if you can tell me if things were really that good when we were growing up." Snowe asked.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I think that everyone in the town was thinking that everything was one big illusion when we look back on it." Basil started to explain, "Sure we had the Knights of Gaien around to protect us, yet when your father showed his true colors when he not only didn't even bother to send us any help, but also to act like he was going to be a hero when he tried to attack Link for saving the island."

"And what about when we were growing up together?" Snowe asked.

"The friendship was pure, that I can tell you since that is the reason why Link hasn't have you killed yet from the beginning." Basil answered, "Although I think it didn't help matters any when Sir Glen kept personally training Link and your father kept making sure Link was nothing more than your little shadow, that follows and does whatever you tell him."

"I was that bad, wasn't I?" Snowe asked, while rubbing his hands all over his face.

"More like misguided." Konrad said, deciding to step in, "I think you were a good person from the start, its just that you've spending most of your life trying to please people so that they would be proud of you, but when your own father didn't even send a single ship to help you protect the island, that's when I think you got a good cold slap of reality. You tried everything you could to prove that you aren't completely helpless only for it to blow up in your face. Link has already dealt with such things when he was growing up and the only thing he had to listen to was his own heart and the fatherly advice that Glen gave him."

Snowe felt like he was starting to know his old friend better, while he realized that he doesn't even know himself that well since he was always under his father's watchful eye, "I guess I need to know myself a little better before I try to apologize to Link for everything I put him through." He said.

"Might be a good start, although in a way it's a good thing that you did." Axel said, "Considering where we are now, I'm pretty sure we would have been worst off if you hadn't, and that Rune of Punishment would be used to help Gaien with their personal gain."

Snowe just finished his drink and decided to give one of the games a little try.

Here is the latest chapter. Sorry it is so short, right now I saving everything for the last chapter. Read and Review, and have a Merry Christmas.


	12. Lesson finally learned

SNOWE'S LESSON FOR LIFE

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or anything else, except this story, on Suikoden IV.

Author's note: The names I chose for the game are as follows; the hero's name is Link, the ship's name is the Dauntless, and the army's name is the Crusaders.

Snowe was slowly heading towards the intersection between the War Room and the fishing deck, wondering what he really knows about himself. Most of his life was spent being molded into a perfect member of Gaien he didn't have any say in the matter. When he first started to grow up after losing his mother, he was feeling lonely because the only people that tend to have time for him were his teacher and his father's staff.

When he first met Link, who was only an orphan found floating somewhere out at sea, he was ecstatic because he finally found somebody his age to spend time with, even though his father only adopted him so that he would become both Snowe's own personal shadow and one of his servants. When they started taking classes together, Snowe couldn't help but feel envious because Link has shown great skills in all their classes. While this was good to a lot of people, his father wasn't too pleased by this, and did everything he can to remind Link that he was nothing more than a servant.

One of the few things that interfered with that was when Commander Glen got interested in Link's talents and abilities and decided to take him under his wing. While Snowe was treated like royalty because of his father's connection to Gaien, with a lot of people kissing his ass out of fear, while he found only a few friends mainly due to people being drawn to Link. The only people that were hard on him were Glen and Katarina because they didn't believe in playing favorites.

"Excuse me." Snowe stepped aside just as Nataly walked past him, while Ugetsu and Shiramine were coming up from boutiques after dropping off their last catch for the day. Jango and Brec came in through the mirror, saying how they were going to win some money from Gunter. Yu was being dragged by Carrie, who wanted to spend some quality time with the guy.

After seeing people walking past him, he couldn't help but feel a little homesick when it reminded him what it was like growing up in Razril. Sure he put on a fake smile when he was by himself, and tries to look like what most people expect from him. The only ones that knew the truth were Link, Tal, Jewel, Keneth and Paula, and those were the ones who actually gave him a reason to drop the act and be himself.

It wasn't until their first real mission after graduation that reality decided to punch him hard in the face, right when that first rune shell attack the ship on the first voyage where he was the captain for real this time. He knew he lost everyone's respect because of the fact that his arm went numb with fear, and he was determined to abandon everything because he was scared out of his mind. That was also when Link's true abilities were revealed when he stood up and took charge of the ship. When he saw how everybody eagerly took to his orders without a moments hesitation, the only thing he can think of was to get out of there to save his own neck. Now that he looks back, he realizes that he really did deserve that punch from Sir Glen, and that he really was pathetic. Even more when his memories jumped towards that first pirate invasion, when he let his ego get the better of him and ordered his ship to take on a couple of pirates without thinking the whole situation thoroughly enough. If it wasn't for Link deciding to watch his back, he would have been sunk, literally. He definitely deserved that second punch as much as Link deserved to be praised by Glen.

Snowe felt sick to his stomach when he thought about how, because of the way he acted, this journey started because he gave his father the ammo he needed to get rid of his first real friend. When he heard about how the rune was transferred from Glen to Link, he finally realized what those lights were. Unfortunately he threw his friendship away due to his wounded pride, and pointed a finger at Link as the result. Everybody in Razril knew that Link and Glen saw each other like they were father and son, and for Snowe to actually accuse his friend of killing somebody truly close to him.

When he was named the new commander, over Katarina, looking back, he knew he was far from ready, compared to Link, and when his own father didn't even bother to send a single ship to aid him and Razril against the Kooluk invasion fleet. The only thing he could think of at the time was to make sure that in exchange for the safety of the town, that he provides information about the rune's whereabouts.

When he suffered his first big lost from Link in a ship-to-ship battle outside of the nest of pirates, and to be captured by him after that flaming arrow incident at Razril, he started to see how the scales were dramatically tipping away from his favor. Even though he was in charge of three fully armed ships, it still wasn't enough against the Dauntless and the Grieshund, whose captains have just made an alliance with each. When he gave piracy a try in order to become better then his friend, he still lost because he realized how far over his head he was.

Even though being sent out to sea twice on a lifeboat should have been enough to have him try for a better future, being left adrift in the middle of nowhere is a bit more effective. When he was picked up by the Dauntless, he thought he was in trouble until Link showed him forgiveness by asking him to join.

Now after everything that he has witness and the stories he heard from those onboard this ship, he is starting to feel his heart become lighter and have a better respect for the person he considered the closest thing to a brother.

"If Glen and my father could see me now." Snowe said, before heading downstairs to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be the day when he finally takes control of his life, and the person to thank for this lifelong lesson is the Captain of this ship, the Commander of the Crusaders, the bearer of the Rune of Punishment and his first true friend, Link.

Hope you like the ending, right now I just wanted to end it with Snowe thinking to himself. Thanks for reading the story, Read and Review.


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